The Sole of My Soul (IV)

IV. Evening

In the evening

I walk on three legs -

Daily I take up my cane

Old,

Wrinkled hands worn by the weathering

Trials and hurricanes and storms life renders

Sinking deep into the oceans

My feet fail

But my God does not.

Night looms ahead

Yet I am neither afraid

Nor regretful of my years on earth

For when I cried out to

God He answered me

Shackles of bondage

Of my own selfishness -

A slave of the desires of a world imprisoned -

You freed me.

Your image imprinted on

The sole of my soul.

I have grown

In grace and in wisdom

What is this, this stirring in my feet

heart

so(u)le?

I no longer want to live for myself

To chase after the things of this world

Money, jobs, fame, validation from others -

Temporary are they.

Bidding the ephemeral farewell

I arrive at the doorstep of the eternal.

I no longer ask myself where do I go next

But ask God

Where will you take me?

Where you go

I will

Come,

Follow me.

Come dwell in my house forever.

The indigo veil lifts revealing

A golden light of peace.

I rest my head on his shoulders.

My God is carrying me home.

The Sole of My Soul (III)

III. Late Afternoon

By the trekking of mountains

Of school and work and jobs and

Life in general

I am led,

I lead,

But I know not where to.

On my own

I prefer it this way

I don’t need anyone to carry me now

I don’t need anyone to pioneer my own path for me

This is better, this is better, this is better...

Am I like the algae floating

Wandering ceaselessly in the open ocean

Tossed by waves

No sure footing

Where is the lighthouse when I need it?

Oh, how the fog from the morning creeps up

Suspended still.

I make many mistakes:

Liar, thief, hypocrite, cheat

Hollow as a cavern empty and

Chilled to the bone

A heart frozen by envy and greed.

Countless the list of wrong turns

Too endless to recount…

Come

My feet

How they swerve one way the other

What path do I take?

Where can I go from here?

No matter how much I try

To be good I fail.

Am I sick?

Eyes droop with sorrow

Back burdened by temptations;

Wolves dressed as sheep

Lie hidden waiting to ensnare

Oh where can I go from here?

To whom can I run?

Come

Knees fall to the ground

Feet fail

I need

help

God!

I AM

God!

I AM

God!

I AM

Listen, my child

And take that step

The Sole of My Soul (II)

II. Midday

I sing to the tune of left right left right

Two feet, two legs

Transporting me

Thankful am I for this sort of newfound independence

Do I still need my parents if I can walk on my own?

Older and taller and wiser

(or so I suppose)

Unexplored lands and experiences and

Time is my theatre, I am the main star.

Venture off into the distance,

Those who first loved me encourage.

Before my eyes sparkling jewels

Of creation

Those sapphires of the oceans, emeralds of the jungles.

My soul swells when the water rushes

When the eagles soar

When the emerald hills echo

When velvet blankets the starlit sky

When the first blades of grass peep forth from snow.

So much to learn, see, and do

(but the time, the time! where is the time?)

The Sole of My Soul (I)

{a new poem series! can you find the Classics and Biblical references? :)}

I. Morning

On four legs

I walk in the morning

Foggy

Has the day even started

If the sun hasn’t risen

Or perhaps it is the moment I wake

From a quiet slumber I knew not I was even in.

Babe

Honey

Daughter they call me.

Time to get up

Go into the world

But remember, be not of it

He whispers as my head rests on his shoulders.

It seemed only a day ago

(Or has one year flown by already?)

My mother

Carried me in her womb

A cradle of muscles and ligaments protecting my tiny, beating heart.

Here am I now

Bathed with lukewarm water

And tear-free soap

As the sun beckons me to start anew.

At first I crawl

Clumsily

Four limbs carry me

My hands and feet move one way

But perhaps my heart points the other;

It is harder than I thought

This whole walking thing.

Each time my legs push me up

Gravity pulls me back down

As if to teach me a lesson of

Patience Practice Perseverance.

Later you will walk

Neither by your hands

Nor by your feet

And not even by your eyes

But by faith.

Late morning resounds with the chirp of birds

Seeking nourishment

As I do.

Tiptoeing up to the counter

I am fed

Food that does not even fill me up

And yet I take it

To please others

To please myself

Or so it seems.

Moldy, dry

There it lies sitting in the cupboard

Bread for the masses

Stale after a string of moments pass by.

I stumble

Feet trip

Yet with time they teach me

Pull me back up

Hands clasping one another, feet in step,

Walk with me.